Brewnotes

I was told there were 7 hops in this beer and was able to pull out 4 of them.      I had never heard of Pilgrim prior to this tasting.

This beer offered an assertive hop profile that stuck with you long after you were finished with your pint.   Tons of citrus notes and caramel malts.    Overall – it was an extremely pleasant IPA and nicely executed example.  

The great thing about this beer is that it is a limited release and I will never have to taste it again.    An extremely floral aroma and tons of clove spice abound.   I found this beer to be very unbalanced, somewhat tart and sour.   I’ve liked a few of their beers in the past but not this one.

”This Imperial Chocolate Stout, fermented and flavored with imported Belgian chocolate nibs, is a new recipe that will be available in 22oz bottles and limited draft. 8% ABV.” from beernews.

Current Beeradvocate rating: Too early!

My take: get out and support your local brewery.   They are making some good beer.  

The Bruery, out of the Los Angeles area of CA, is turning out some fine beers these days.   We typically don’t see too many of these on the east coast so I jumped on the chance to taste this one.  

Here is the description straight from the brewers: “2 Turtle Doves is the second in the 12 Days/Years of Christmas Services. We decided to take our inspiration from the name and base the beer on the "turtle" candy, brewing it with cocoa nibs, toasted pecans, caramelized sugar and a lot of caramel malts. Somewhere between a Belgian-style Dark Strong Ale and an Imperial Porter, this beer is designed to take the journey through time until 12 Drummers Drumming.” 

The brewery describes it as follows: “brewed with a blend of 5 Noble Hop varieties from each of the world’s only remaining Noble Hop growing regions. The spicy, herbal and citrus hop character is well balanced by the Weyermann Bohemian Pilsner malt, adding honeyed malt character and full body without sweetness.”

This beer is clear, golden and pours with a nice white head.  Citrus and floral notes abound.   Hop dominate but not too bitter.   Coming in at a mere 4.9% ABV, this beer is a great drinker.   Clean classic Czech style Pilsner.

Current Beeradvocate rating: A-.

My take: This is a fantastic beer and I couldn’t be more surprised.   This is one of the better examples of this beer style outside of the Czech Republic.

A very approachable beer with good malt (caramel notes and biscuit)and just enough hops to balance it; 5% ABV and 30IBUs, caramel color and a nutty flavor.   Columbus and Willamette hops provide some citrus notes.

Current Beeradvocate rating: B-

My take: many people put this beer down because most of the DFH beers represent something much bigger.    This beer is very quaffable and close to a session beer if the alcohol was a little bit lower.   Easily, one of the easiest drinking beers around.

This beer has an assertive malt backbone that holds up nicely against the hops.   Hop aroma/presence is prolific and upfront but not overwhelmingly bitter with a hint of pine.   The beer pours a deep golden color with a white head.   Moderate carbonation.   7% ABV.

Current Beeradvocate rating: B+

This is the kind of American IPA that I really appreciate.     70ish IBUs are about my maximum.   With all that considered, this is an extremely drinkable beer that I will seek out from time to time.